


Pandora's Box Opened:  Jim Caviezel as John Reese/"John H---"

by Mooninscorpio



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-02-13 14:08:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2153472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooninscorpio/pseuds/Mooninscorpio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim Caviezel, actor, playing the former John Reese, now as "John H---" his new identity, cannot believe his eyes when he reads about his new identity in Season 4.<br/>The title  for episode 1, "Panopticon" brings back memories of his recent movie "Escape Plan", and episode 2, "Nautilus" is anything but, an episode about working out.  Rested from his busy but exhilarating hiatus, he dives right into his scenes, with his characteristic intensity, as he tackles his new identity, John H ---.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1  -  "New Man, New Suit"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kindaoffkilter and Blacktop](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kindaoffkilter+and+Blacktop).



> This fanfic is 100% fiction,a blend of real-time behind the scenes and PoI scenes depictions, and in no way does it depict any real-life personal views or actual thoughts of Jim Caviezel, the actor or person. The various events which the actor has attended are fact, as shown on various websites and social media, however, the rest of the fanfic is my own conjecture. 
> 
> This chapter was inspired by a photo taken of Jim Caviezel, several weeks ago by Chris Fisher, a PoI Noir shot of him in an obscure area in Central Park, and other recent photos of him taken in the same area again.

Long white 40 ft. consecutivey parked trailers were parked on a side street near Battery Park high rise towers. It was 7:15 P.Marina on a still-sullit NY early summer eve, temperatures cooling off to 78 degrees, with no humidity. Jim waited inside the trailer for car service to pick him and Kevin up for their next shoot for the day, at Central Park . Two freshly dry cleaned suits hung on the wall ready for him to hang into. A few personal items lay on top of the small table: cellphone and charger, earbuds, small HP laptop for his own personal use, for Skyping Kerri and the kids during downtime. Several cases of bottled water, ginger ale, and Starbucks Frappacino were stacked on the floor by the table. The actors all received their favorite cases of beverages for the week for outdoor shoots and the frappuccino with crushed ice was becoming a staple when he was tired during his 12-18 hour days and nights. He also had a small carryon with some of his recent clothing purchases, some new Yankees jerseys and t-shirts, black crew neck tees, black leather jacket for his scenes, and two pairs of old faded jeans. He could have asked for a larger trailer, but didn't want to overload with too many personal items. His apartment in Brooklyn was more secure. Coming from the west, he still felt out of sorts in the urban sprawl here and packed light when using his trailer temporarily. 

He thought about Kerri back home with the kids, and their part time maid Tatiana who helped out when Kerri had to volunteer several times weekly. They were able to finally relax for an extended vacation for the first time in almost three years, and she did so well braving all the paparazzi at the L.A. premiere of his movie. They vied for the best shot of both and she looked slightly uncomfortable, yet Jim had coached her on what to do and expect from the photographers. More than usual, he graced many interviewers' shows to promote his movie. It would premiere in just a few more weeks this summer, and he hoped it would resonate with many young people regardless of whether they were athletes or not. The thought made sitting in his small trailer more bearable, and he was blessed to have this "second chance" to reach the prime of his career. Gone were the lean, hard years from 2004-2014 and even in the 90's when there were very few breaks for him. All his lucky breaks came from people like Terrence Malik, who believed in him to deliver a solid performance, and now, Nolan, who didn't even want him to do a screen test, who picked out of a litter of actors' photos sprawled on his desk, took one look at his mysterious face and said "he's the one I want for the part!" and after consulting with his casting director, made a lightning speed decision to call him ASAP, and the rest was history. It was a seminal moment for Jim, the day Nolan asked him to play John Reese. He was immediately drawn to the part and knew how he'd play it. He began to Skype Kerri but instead, instant messaged her, as it was only three-thirty back home and she'd be driving to pick up LeLe and Bo from school. "waiting for car service for pickup in an hour, for night time shoot in Central Park. How's things with you and kids? ILUA" He smiled as he typed the shorthand endearment for "I love you always" that Bo created for his father. The acronym caught on with Kerri and the other kids and there it remained. After messaging Kerri for several minutes, he rose to get dressed. He sprayed a new Cologne that she'd brought him shortly before their appearance at the premiere. He liked anything she chose for him, as she had good taste and gravitated towards the fresh woodsy-lime scents that he preferred. He felt closer to her now that he was dabbing on the cologne she picked out. He made a mental note to pick up few I Love NY t-shirts for LeLe and Kerri for them to wear on weekends. LeLe loved to wear them at school and would tell anyone who listened, that her dad worked in NY "wherever they made him go, even at midnight." He smiled at the pointed innocence of youth, as he finished tying his shoes. A momentary wave of sadness overtook him, as he remembered his Dad teaching him to tie his shoes right, especially before basketball games in high school. Time was going by so quickly, and he was missing Bo's young teen years and regretted that he couldn't be there to go to his little league baseball games. He didn't reveal his thoughts to anyone at work, but they were sensitive to his moods whenever he appeared downcast at times. He tried to compartmentalize his work and personal life, and luckily the distractions of urban life were enough to keep him on track with his acting, whenever he began missing his family. 

This past season, after Taraji's absence from the set, everyone else in the case banded together around him, as all were deeply shocked and saddened at her departure from the show. Whenever Jim had the opportunity, he nuanced his acting to show Reese's grieving for his Joss. The rest of the season's storyline was speeding like an express train, into the unknown AI war to come. He tried to re-focus on portraying Reese in a more raw and desperate way, more focused on getting "back to work", back to Harold and the mission, where he had his purpose. Real life couldn't have been more true. 

Jim had studied his lines, and saw his new character's identity, new job description, new additions to his "suit". It was the same suit, but a different man now. He had to tone down John's hyper-vigilant pose quite a bit, blend into the Manhattan pedestrian scene, order take out for lunch like any New Yorker, and neutralize his facial expression to look only slightly vigilant. He riffed through the script once again and then he heard footsteps ascend the trailer steps, and a few hard knocks on his door. It was marco, his driver.  
"Yo, Mr. Caviezel, you ready to go soon?" he called out as he knocked on Kevin's door also. "I wanna beat the rush hour going uptown." Jim gathered his script, cellphone, earbuds and a bag of beverages. "I'm ready to go man.' Marco looked up at the handsome actor and saluted him fondly. "You shoulda been in the military, you're the only one on time around here!" He handed Jim a white plastic bag of food.  
"What's this?" he questioned, sniffing the contents.  
"Some kinda Vietnamese soup. Sarah told me to order some, said Taraji used to be crazy about it and got her eating it too." At the mention of her name, Jim felt a pang of sadness again, missing her anew, as he remembered her clapping her hands near dinnertime, shouting to the camera crew "We're breaking for dinner, now, Jesus has spoken." looking straight at him, as he sat looking at his watch several times. Or she'd say "Jesus, can you make this cold weather go away, until I get a chance to buy another coat the next time I have a day off?" He laughed at her Jesus jokes, she was so exuberant and kept the cast upbeat, whenever things became tense or dull between takes.  
"What's in it, d'ya know?" he asked Marco who was busy unlocking the doors to the black SUV and rounding up Kevin, Michael, Amy and Sarah. The crawled into their seats, saving Jim to front seat, since he had the longest legs. 

They headed uptown towards the park, and Jim observed the mass of humanity outside, never tiring of watching New Yorkers owning the streets. Everyone came from somewhere else, had their own style of dress, spoke a million languages, except the classic New York accent of the 30-60's. He was already thinking of adding a slight accent himself, to his new identity, if he could pull it off long enough. "Ey Marco, I axed you before, what's in this soup?" he honked out his best New York accent. Marco's eyebrows shot up in the rearview mirror, as he answered,  
"I don't eat anything I can't pronounce. I stick to what i know." he answered his his staccato Long-Islandese. Jim laughed and everyone joined in, trying to imitate Jim and not succeeding. He was a consummate mimic and they knew it. Without voicing it, they all ooked to him now to carry one, where Taraji left off. Amy began griping about the calories she was adding to her figure. Michael said he needed to stop eating at Patsy's for dinner whenever Carrie flew back home to see him. Marco played some iTunes songs while they made their way uptown to meet with the filming crew for the night. 

The familiar Central Park treelike appeared in the distance, giving them approximately 20 minutes to meet the crew there, if they made all the green lights. Jim watched the upscale dressed pedestrians making their way home along 68th-86th Streets near the Guggenheim Museum. Young beautiful Russian women, showing off their long legs, gingerly walking in six inch platform heels, with their sober looking partners gazing straight ahead, expressionless. On they went further uptown to the 90's with the gradual shift in architecture to showcase the Neo-gothic apartment buildings of the turn of the century, storefronts in various languages: Korean produce stands, Russian delis and cellphone shops, Arabic falafel stands. Jim was hit with the realization that even after all his travels to Europe and Asia, the word was a microcosm, right here in the N.Y. Ten years ago, if someone told him he'd be working here, he'd laugh outright. He was still recovering from the controversial aftershocks from starring in the "Passion" and wasn't even sure his career would resurface again. Mel told him he'd be "finished in Hollywood" if he took the part. That settled it in his mind, he was going to play Jesus. And ten years later, he was playing the very polar opposite,of Jesus ` John Reese.  
He closed his eyes from the overload outside, overwhelmed again at how he ended up on PoI, all the way from Mt. Vernon.


	2. "Tunnel Vision"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reese and Fusco reunite again under cover of night, as John takes on a young group of thugs. Jim and Kevin share some insights on and off-camera. Jim reveals a surprising personal preference of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The personal preference of Jim's was inspired by a fun chat topic and recent post of Kindaoffkilter.

8:15 P.M. in the northernmost tip of Central Park. Jim stands in the dark, listening to the voice-overs of his lines, as he looks into a little-utilized narrow tunnel leading out 75 ft. to a small, dirty stream of jagged rocks. The filming of "Nautilus" is underway tonight, as the high intensity beams brighten the entrance to the narrow passageway. Two NYPD patrol cars are parked, lights flashing slowly, a huddled group of extras in their twenties, are tattooed and dressed gangsta style, smoking and waiting for their cue to begin their altercation with the Number. Jim readjusts his Sig behind his right flank, while his makeup woman, Toy, gives his cheeks one last powdering, wiping a thin film of sweat from his face. He stared into the tunnel, thinking it must have been built for original use by horse and buggy back in the 1800's. He walked into the damp passage, musty orders filling his nostrils. He'd be lucky if the scene was shot 5 times. He didn't mind the cramped feeling but didn't like the odor of sewage. He mentally rehearsed his lines, his stance and facial expressions. This was going to be his first reappearance back in the "suit" again this season and the director was looking for a certain feel to his swagger. "Play it like the Batman surprise of the season Jim." he advised before he was positioned by the tunnel. They were going to highlight his upper body in light while keeping the rest of his body in the dark, to maximize the guise of stealth. Jim would keep his hand behind him holding the gun, move with minimal movement like the ex-op John would never cease to be, and slowly emerge from the dark interior, in the element of surprise upon the unsuspecting "gang" as they accosted one of the Numbers in the episode. He waited for his cue. "Ok, Jim start walking halfway through till you see one of the cameramen flashing the red light, stop, then the gang will start their scene and scuffle. Then wait till you hear when you can go to the other end, then start your lines." Chris Fisher briefed him, then he began walking, looking for the red light signaling his next thirty or so feet walk to the other end. "Scene six, take one! Lights - camera - action!" Jim heard the sounds of the gang members' voices loudly echoing through the ancient passage, slowed down at the flashing red light. Then one of the cameramen led him onward, and he saw the glow of white beams behind and above his head, "start talking now!" he was instructed through his earbud.  
"Don't you know, its not safe being out this late at night?" John delivered in his smoothest, most sardonic tones, with eyebrows barely lifted, his body half-illuminated from the shoulders up. The old John Reese was back in full force, in the darkness, just like Season 3, before they all had to scurry to the far corners of the city.  
"Who the hell are you?" one young thug threatened.  
"You by yourself huh? " another stepped closer.  
"Where 'chop come from?" another punk chimed in menacingly.  
"Nice suit, man. Maybe I want it, and your wallet too." the first thug continued aggressively.

Jim then delivered one of the gems in his script tonight.  
"Sorry, I just had it dry cleaned and I don't want to get it dirty. " He sized up the four youths, age early 20's, one looked more dangerous with his hand in his back pocket, the others holding a lead pipe, another holding a package in his hand, most likely drugs. Throats tattooed with numbers and letters, probably Russian or Bulgarian mob wannabes.  
"It was dirty enough back there." John tossed his head back towards the tunnel from where he emerged. In a flash, one of the thugs started to jostle towards him with the pipe, and with lightning speed, John wrestled it from his hand and twisted his elbow backwards with it, sending the punk screaming to the ground. John went for the second punk's jugular in a vice-grip, and the sounds of gurgling rose from his throat as he fell backwards gasping for air, grabbing his throat before passing out. The next gangsta held a baseball bat in his hand but john dodged his violent swing, and his fingers went for his eyes, and the insane scream of pain broke the silence as he went down too. The last one had the gun, and reaching for it, John was much faster than the youth, and two short blasts from his Sig, and the punk went down to the ground screaming as John took perfect aim for his kneecap. 

Suddenly the sounds of sirens and flashing lights came into view from behind the stream, and John readjusted his belt with his detective's badge flashing in the dark. Fusco's figure was seen driving and exiting the car, anxiously looking around for any more assailants. "This looks like the work of one man, Mr. Tall, Dark and Psychotic." he muttered to himself as he ran towards the youth rocking, holding his knee. "Too much going on as it is and I miss the good old weird days when I had help from the Motley Crew.." he continued muttering as he eyed John's telltale work, but confused because of John's and the Team's obvious absence during the past seven weeks. He saw the signature kneecap injury inflicted on the ignorant youth, but no sign of John anywhere. Fusco searched the youths for any other weapons,and his backup rookie assisted him with the other punk rubbing his eyes painfully. "I don't know who the hell he was but he took all of us out and disappeared." one of them moaned as Fusco demanded an explanation. Reese definitely was back, Lionel triumphantly surmised He looked towards the small tunnel, and his sharp ears heard the muffled sound of a small motorcycle revving up in the distance. Reese, back on the other side, was already on his Ducati, pre-paid untraceable cellphone in his hand, dialing Fusco's number.  
"Lionel? I'm back to work again, but working' by myself for awhile. None of our other friends know yet. We're supposed to be "other people" now. Too dangerous to be together again right now."  
"John! Is that you? Where have you been --!" Fusco panted.  
"Cant' tell you. I'm working on finding my friend again, so we can get back to work." John's voice whispered with a sense of urgency. 

Fusco understood John's reluctance to speak, give details, fears of phone-tapping no doubt, he concluded. Yet he was immensely relieved to hear his voice again, after the deafening silence of the past month and a half. Afraid of being prematurely cut off, Lionel cut to the chase.  
"Wait - don't hang up yet! - How did you know about these punks? Been bugging me for weeks, you all skipping town without a trace. No more clues in advance for me from you.And there's more now." he paused to catch his breath while handcuffing one of the gang members. He stepped away from him, for a more private reveal to John.

"There's a mob or some terrorist group out there, I've never heard of, killing people in broad daylight right in the middle of the street. No organized crime ties that we know of. No one able to catch these guys. They work in small groups like snipers. They know what's going on everywhere, all the time, like you and company used to do. We can't get to these people, whoever they are." Lionel finished, defeated at this new wave of violent crime, waiting for John's response. 

"I know - we know who they are." John's tone was grim, final. "They have control of everyone, everything in the city." he paused, "the country and possibly, beyond." Lionel was stunned speechless. "It's safer for you and your son that I call you instead of you calling me. My friend and I are#1 and 2 on the list if we show anything out of the ordinary on their radar."  
Lionel swallowed hard after hearing this dire explanation. He was more perplexed than ever, but sensed that John didn't want to say more than he already did. His next words were spoken in hushed tones.  
"I'll do whatever I can to help you out and keep you safe ok? Why'd you think I beat the crap outta you a couple months ago in Colorado?" he teased John to convey his ongoing support for his brave friend. Hearing the old Lionel was a balm to his hyper-alert frame of mind, and he knew Lionel would continue to be a much needed asset on the inside in order to continue saving the Numbers, however, impossible that task would be. Fusco was a bulldog of a detective and had the courage of a CIA operative, whether he knew it or not. John chose his next words carefully.  
"I'm going to look for my friends and our mutual friend too. When I find them, I'll call you." he hung up quickly before Lionel could ask anything more and Fusco stared at the silent phone in his grimy hand, looked out into the distant trees, and rose to his feel.

"Cut!" the camera crew shouted to Kevin and the young actors. Jim was already heeding southbound into the sea o yellow cabs, back towards a designated spot at a Burger King on 98th St. where a second film crew waited for him. Tony, his backup stuntman, was inside a trailer parked in front, greeted him with a high-five, and both sat down for a quick beverage. Tony was almost 10 years younger than him, one of the best young stuntmen in the tv industry, and very likable, and almost a Jim lookalike, except his features weren't as chiseled as Jim's, but he had a similar height and build to pass for Jim.  
"Hope I don't have to go in that tunnel too much. I'm claustrophobic. Don't mind jumping out of windows any day, just don't get me in small spaces!" 

As Tony asked about Jim's time away on vacation, one of the directors called Jim and informed him that his lines were perfectly delivered, but they might need to re-do the scene because of the gang sequence and some lighting adjustments. "Yep, they want another take in about 15 minutes," Jim made a quick pit stop, took a bottled water with him, and heading back on his bike, returned to the set tow blocks away. The night was cooling off, and someone from wardrobe, placed another jacket over his shoulders. More makeup and the fifteen minute respite became a half-hour. He pulled out his iPhone and briefly listened to some music. His daughter downloaded some of her songs for him to listen to during down time. One of them was just beginning to play now. He smiled to himself as he recalled LeLe dancing around the living room to the catchy tune. "Why do you like that song so much? he asked her once while he was home. she laughed and hugged him hard. She missed him being away, but she was happy to tell all her girlfriends that her "Daddy worked in New York on t.v." Thinking about her made waiting between takes easier. He watched the eighties video as if it were a relic back to the days of MTV. 

An hour passed, as they reenacted the tunnel scene several more times. Each time he and Lionel compared notes, asked each other whether they could improve on their dialogue. Jim told Kevin there had to be just enough "desperation" in his phone conversation, to convey the helplessness of his situation battling unforeseen cyber-villans. They had a few more scenes but they were daytime scenes in the precinct, with John standing in front of a red brick laundromat out in Queens. Another shoot tomorrow with Shaw and himself by an office building, with Shaw in her customary black tank top and lycra pants. Back to the upper west 40's again for that segment. It would be Reese's and Sam's first reunion since Season three, another important scene for John. 

"Ok guys, once more and we're gonna wrap this up tonight!" the director announced into the megaphone. "We have to get you and Kevin back out there too and the gang down on the ground again." Jim quit the iTunes and felt heartburn coming on, as he had some more of the Vietnamese soup, which din't agree with him somehow.  
Kevin noticed the frown on his face and the way he rubbed his gut.  
"What's the matter, Kemosabe?" he teased, seeing Jim's irritable expression.  
"Do you have Tums? I think the soup got to me." he confessed to Kevin before taking his place on the set. Kevin always had Tums in his pocket because of his own indigestion, from eating all the NY pizza and gyros he loved. Jim lapsed into his Reese-mode once more, concentrating on his lines. The next fifteen minutes went by quickly as he and Kevin repeated their scene. Jim performed all his moves without Tony needed. The exercise seemed to help alleviate his heartburn within a few minutes. The gang performed much more realistically and the directors were pleased at the final result. "Cut!" they barked out. Reese got back on the motorcycle one last time for his final exit down Fifth Avenue. The cast filed out towards Marco's SUV for home. 

Back inside and settled into their seats, the case lay against the leather interior seats, as they listened to Marco's rundown of their pickup schedule tomorrow. "You have the day off Ms. Amy and Sam, you don't need to be picked up till one o'clock." Marco turned slightly to look at the brunette star. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, mumbling "I can sleep in a little!"  
Jim pulled out his iTunes again and replayed the song. Kevin looked at him sideways and asked "What are you listening to. Play it for us." Marco recached for his adapter and connected the phone. The little catchy jingle was heard.  
"Oh, I remember that song!" Amy declared suddenly "I was in junior high back then." It amazed Jim again how old he was compared to his co-stars.  
"My daughter likes this song a lot and had me download it." he chuckled.  
"Oh yeah, takes me bcd to my bad boy days in the eighties." Kevin added conspiratorially.  
"You're still in those days, KC." Marco guffawed loudly.  
"I was just a baby back then." Sarah added with a little whine.

They drove now over the Brooklyn Bridge, and as the lights blurred in sequence overhead, everyone was humming the melody to "She's Got Bette Davis Eyes."


	3. "Full Leather Jacket"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and his colleagues are on their way home after a long night of filming. He plans on how to further develop John's new identity and finally reaches his apt. for a much needed rest before the next day's frenetic schedule filming with Michael. The scene of their reunion after Season 3 finale. Once home, he finally relaxes and plans his next personal vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short introspective chapter, again, everything is fiction and in no way represents the true feelings of Mr. Caviezel and/or his family. Leads into following day's filming with John and Harold.

He scanned the night life as they reached their neighborhood, noticing many coupes still out clubbing and eating out. He enjoyed the ambience of Brooklyn Heights and its close proximity to lower Manhattan. Relatively safe area as well, as it was many-generations Mafia owned properties and they liked to rent out their brownstones to the media and film industry in order to maintain the area's upscale and safe environment. Tomorrow would be a big scene with himself and Michael at one of the smaller parks, and also with Shaw in Queens. An office lobby scene with Shaw was also planned later in the next day or two, depending on their schedule. Weapons and action again for the duo, he was briefed by one of the writers. The episodes from on to the other were more unpredictable, and kept all the actors on their toes as to what to expect daily. He gazed at the locals who lived here, hands in their pockets, heads lowered but alert to their surroundings. Black t-shirts, black jeans or denims, and dark sneakers. Even in the summer, New Yorkers wore black, a practical color to deal with all the pollution and dirt on the sidewalks. John Reese would blend in with a similar wardrobe, he decided. He'd ask the wardrobe consultant if there were such clothes in stock, or else, he'd use his own personal clothing, which he always had on hand for his cross-country flights. The Man in the Jacket, Kerri had recommended he get a black one because his beloved light brownish orange one was a little too light for the cooler night temperatures in either city. 

For the thousandth time, he compared his role to that of his own life script and found both redeemable. He had succeeded in spite of a flagging movie career, after The "Passion" and all the controversy surrounding the film, and through no fault of his own, he had many doors closed to him after that. However, the silver lining was that everyone on the planet knew who he was now, and he had a very loyal Christian base as well as a surprising number of other religious denominations. He was very successful as Reese, mainly due to the hard work he invested in the role, training with Navy Seals on weapons and tactical maneuvers and fight sequences. He thanked his Dad silently for making him take judo and karate while in junior and high school. The katas were useful in the stances he displayed before his attack on the villains on the show. Very rarely did he ask for Tony to stunt for him, unless he was having a bad day with his left foot and lower leg, from his old injury in college. He was grateful that the role could blend in his love of sports, his wish to join the Navy Seals when he was younger, and motorcycling and his Method style of acting with his entire body. Nearly ten years later, since the Passion, he was finally enjoying his second prime and Nolan had given him his "second chance" to star in Person of Interest. However, most of all, it was a clean role, without any moral compromises he was always careful to avoid and his role was so defined that at times, some of the fans would point to him and say "he's badass Reese!". 

Taraji used to shake her finger at him and say, "I really think Jesus was really a vigilante, you know, clean out the temple, write on the ground and get rid of the sinners!" and raise her fabulously expressive eyebrows and burst out laughing, easing the day's tension for him, with her witty jokes. He still missed her terribly, even though almost nine months had gone by. After her departure, art imitated life, as the cast and crew struggled on the set to lighten their mood and regain their footing. A little piece of his acting left after she did and the special on-screen chemistry they shared was now missing. But Jim always played team level, so he kept his thoughts to himself on her departure, except for one little remark how she had put him at ease on the set and made him smile. An innocent enough comment, which didn't reveal much to any media hounds. He thought about the spontaneous kiss he decided to add to the morgue scene, and Taraji's genuine onscreen reaction to it, just perfect sync for what he wanted to convey. He knew instinctively that the fans were just dreaming of some kind of closure to their two and a half year "partnership" however scant the opportunity presented itself, in their terse lines and fast pced episode. It was an eloquent, wordless moment and spoke volumes and could be interpreted in so many ways, to so many viewers. Joss did get her "man in the suit" in the end, in a way she never expected. She got a bittersweet, fleeting moment of the real John Reese.

So lost in thought was Jim that he didn't realize they were already in front of his brownstone. After goodnights and reminders, he went into his simply furnished apartment, that Warner Bros. procured for him and his colleagues. He removed his jacket, and recharged his phone for the night. He turned on the shower, pulled out his pajamas bottoms and took a hot shower to ease away all the tension in his body from the night's activities. He went over tomorrow's agenda in his mind, and soon as he was in bed, he'd call Kerri at nine o'clock her time before bedtime for the kids, and say good night to them all. 

Twenty mins. later:  
"Ok honey, put the kids on before they get into bed.." he waited a moment and each one of his children kissed into their phone and said good night and love you's to their Dad.  
"I played the song you like, Le Le " he confided to his daughter. "everyone likes it just like we do." he added lovingly.  
He could hear David, five years old, asking for more ccokies from Kerri. It was a miracle he was feeling much better now after his surgeries and Kerri's mom was a huge help to both of them in taking care of him while Kerri got some time away for herself during the week.  
"I bet you're tired Jim, filming again at night. You'd better turn in now, it's probably close to midnight now for you?" He told her again how he really appreciated her support with the kids and with him working in NY. She said both grand moms were always around to help her and everyone was rooting for his movie premiere. They already had good reviews from many church groups and schools in the West and Southeastern parts of the country. 

Jim turned the lamp off, staring out of the window, seeing the reflection of the quaint street lamps outside, and missed the poplars around their pool at home. He had a break coming up around November, and would go home for Thanksgiving for a long weekend. He'd go back to see his mom and take her out for coffee after church, as was their custom whenever he had a chance to head back home. And listen to her "keep away from the Hollywood blarney." admonitions. He set his snooze button for 6:45 AM and took a few more sips of Aquafina by his nightstand. He allowed himself to finally relax into the soft bed and was almost instantly asleep.


	4. "Chess Matches and A Gold Plaque"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next day is spent filming the chess table scene at the park, and the director wants every expression on their faces extremely fine tuned for this important scene. The cast breaks for lunch, films the next shoot down at the 8th Precinct for one of the scenes in episode 4 "Brotherhood". Jim is shown a detail of the scene, which is a huge revelation to him as an actor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the readers wanted me to finally include "John H --" in my fanfic, so here it is, just for you and more to come!

Next morning Jim was back on the set at Madison Square Park, his black jacket draped over his actor's chair, his and a 6-pack of ginger ale and bottled water underneath his seat. The wardrobe department had exactly the black outfit he inquired about, for this scene, except for the jacket, of course. That was Kerri's inspiration, and for that, he was thankful. Many short scenes were on the agenda today for both him and Michael which meant at least a 12-18 hour day for both and the others. Jim had another scene with Fusco down at the 8th Precinct, for the first time, this Season, so he needed to wear the suit again in the afternoon. He hd wondered why he was back in it again so early into the season, then he read the scripts for today's episode and the next, and then he got the bigger picture about John's role in season 4. John Reese may be hiding in plain sight, but of all the characters, he had the highest profile on the radar, therefore, needing the utmost caution not to be exposed to Greer and Co. This would be a much more dangerous modus operandi for John than anything he'd ever done in the military or even the CIA.  
There was no "home" to go back to now. No Library sanctuary as one of Michael's line would depict. Jim listened to his lines being voiced over on his earbuds and sat perfectly still in rapt concentration as the crew began setting up the first scene at the chess table. Toy came over to check on his makeup and hair and made small talk about today's weather forecast. "Possibly some rain later after three Jim. Don't worry darling, we have extra suits and I brought the extra firm hold gel that'll keep the frizz out." she smiled up at the handsome actor, and gently dabbed his forehead and cheeks. Then she motioned him off towards the chess table where the cameras were nearly ready. Jim sat down with Michael and briefly marveled at the bright green oak trees above their table. Bear sat obediently beside Michael, just having been fed and given a sweet potato and bacon flavored treat. The filming began. 

"Nice dog, what breed is he?" John sat next to the bench, beside Bear who was whining with joy at seeing his true alpha again. Bent over rubbing his flank and eyeing Harold intently.  
"Thanks, he's a Belgian Malinois, a very good guard dog." Harold pointedly remarked.  
"I've seen some over in Iraq, where I was stationed. Some only understand Dutch but more of them are being trained in English nowadays."  
"Oh, you're a vet then?" Harold made the ruse more elaborate, in their new identities. 

The scene progressed from friendly ruse, to suddenly, John taking the seat directly across Harold at the chess table. Leaning forward onwards Harold, eyes meeting his very intently and focused on the real purpose of his visit to the park. 

"How did you find me here?" Harold demanded in a frightened whisper, eyes darting around for surveillance cams.  
"I took a wild guess and figured you still had that little apartment in Brooklyn, by the college and staked it out, saw you going in, saw your light on, once you reached the third floor, heard Bear whining after the light went on. Figured it was you then, and that you came here on Saturdays to play chess with one of our friends from Rikers." John added pointedly knowing Harold associated now with Elias. Which was a totally unexpected move on Harold's part. Jim raised his eyebrows knowingly, and then he bit into delivering the next few lines.  
"Harold, what are we going to do? Time is running out." Dead serious, staring at Harold as if he held the keys to his very existence.  
Michael put his chess piece down, and with precise, emphatic enunciation, in firm tones, he responded.  
"We have hardly any resources, we have no sanctuary." Then raising his voice in a desperate plea he added, "Before if you had nine lives..." his voice we up an octave, truly showing his concern now.  
"now you only have one." His expression was sympathetic to John's personal hurt, yet the steely edge was heard in his plea. Harold, the Reluctant, unable to put John's life in any more jeopardy than he already had put it in. Pushing him away from his dangerous gun-toys, the vigilante life and the Mission.  
"This is your chance to have a normal life John" he looked down at John's hands gripping the table's edges. Looked at his left ringless finger. He ached for the Grace he'd sent away too.

John would have none of it. He'd gladly exchange the other eight lives to the Devil himself, and use the last one remaining to live it for Harold's Mission.  
"When we first met, you said I didn't need a shrink or pills, you said i needed a job." He gathered up his turbulent emotions now.  
"We don't need jobs Harold, we need a purpose." Jim delivered this line with amazing nuance, echoing Harold's original words from the Pilot. The irony was not lost to him, as that line mirrored a prominent theme of the show. The terse conversation continued, as they pretended some chess moves on the table. John handed him a medium sized manila envelope from his jacket and Harold quickly tucked it in his inside jacket pocket. John had written his identity name, his job title and location. He also added another piece of crucial information: John had contacts too, he had a 'safe house" location of his own, which Root, of all people had helped him secure, thanks in part, to the Machine itself. He had written down its location and inserted his business card inside as well. 

"Read, memorize and destroy, as the Agency used to tell us." John cautioned as he began to rise from the table.

Bear grew suddenly restless to go with John, and Harold rose as well, saddened to have John leave him, yet deathly afraid of any anomaly from the norm they may be currently displaying. He pulled his hat lower over his glasses.  
"I'm concerned that Bear may attract too much attention, ... with my limp becoming more pronounced, with all the flightily of stairs I'm climbing now on a daily basis. I'm afraid I was very spoiled at my prior residence." he added, meaning the Library.  
He motioned him to take Bear's leash. John pushed it back towards Harold's hand,  
"you need protection more than I do."  
"I don't think so John. You're probably in some highly dangerous job right now, with more exposure to the public eye." he argued. Jim set his expression in irritated Reese fashion.  
Bear whined louder. Upset and suddenly afraid of Harold's true intentions in giving Bear back to him. he questioned Harold vehemently, "Did they spot you both? Or are you going solo to get away from us?" he added with a tinge of anger. Harold couldn't meet his eyes. Struggling to regain some composure, he only said, "I've been at this type of life a lot longer than you have. I know how to survive in this new world.  
"But you can only walk so far Harold..." John hated bringing his handicaps up but every meeting needed to be taken as if it were their last.  
Harold shook his head, still handling the leash over.  
Jim changed his expression to desperation now. Not wishing to create a scene, John reluctantly took Bear from Harold and his last words were.  
"You know how to get in touch with me, if you need him back." Taking Bear now, he backed away from Harold, and with one last grieving sidelong glance, he retreated into the row of trees nearby, and walked out of the chess area without stopping. 

"Cut!" the cameraman shouted.  
"That was just amazing!" Chris came over to both actors excitedly. Michael relaxed against the bench smiling. Jim returned to the bench, wiping his brow.  
"Great job Michael! Wouldn't change a thing!" Camera staff chimed in. Jim and Michael now congratulating each other.  
"I don't know what the writers have planned for the next few eps, but it's gonna be even more insane this season, versus last." Michael leaned towards Jim as they began making their way towards the director.  
Bear's handler, Meg, took Bear back to his crate to feed him lunch.  
"Lets break till 1:00 and we'll all meet back at the trailers and SUVs.We're going to the precinct for the next shoot. Michael and Amy, you're both going to the college set over at Silvercup."  
"Jim, you and Kevin will be at the precinct for the outside shoot and then at Silvercup for the indoor office scene."

Michael broke away from Chris and motioned to Jim, "I think were having dinner at the conference room at the Sofitel, near Times Square. I heard they were catering from "Patsy's" my favorite Italian.  
"Great! I'm in the mood for some frutti de mare" Jim gave a thumb's up. "No wonder New Yorkers are so spoiled about their favorite food."  
"That's why Im glad I can work in NY. Whenever Carrie gets back east, we get our favorite bagels and toppings from Katz's for Sunday breakfast at home."  
"Nice quality time Mike." Jim agreed. Michael looked at Jim for a moment, thought to ask him how Kerri was doing, but then changed his mind. He'd seen Jim Skye Kerri and the kids during downtime during nighttime shoots and only added. "Yeah we try and make every minute count whenever she's here & she really misses Chumley."

*****************************************************************************************************

1:45: All were assembled outside the Eighth Precinct on 1 Clarkson St. in lower Manhattan. Jim stood by the cameramen and Chris Fisher was with him, assisting with his lines. Slightly warmer than the morning, the 84 degree heat began sticking to his makeup and he needed more makeup detail this afternoon. There were going to be more closeups of his face, during the dialogue outside, and extra suit jackets were hanging in the trailer. Jim wore a badge on his belt for this scene. Everyone brightened up noticeably when they saw him in the Suit again and now, flashing a new "badge" as part of his wardrobe. Tents and barricades were set up to discourage fans from getting too close to hear dialogue and in general, New Yorkers were in too much of a hurry to stay long anyway. Ken was standing at the entrance of the precinct with papers in his hand and cellphone in the other. A few young women stood nearby, who were going to be in the scene supposedly involved in an argument with Fusco on the episode. 

Jim and Kevin took their places just before the take was announced. They were going to be involved in a case of some kind, with Fusco now having the upper hand as he was "on the inside" and in a better position to research any related information needed on any suspects. 

Their scene was underway, with John announcing his new Identity and title. Fusco had a new nickname for him now: 

"So what brings you here today...?" he eyed the new gold badge, almost waiting for John to say Stills' name, but instead, John replied,  
"My name is John H ---" I was told to report to this precinct today and that I would be working in undercover Narcotics and White Collar Crimes Unit with you." he announced blandly with a hint of a smirk at the irony of it.  
Fusco stared at John, unbelievingly, looked at the badge that was NOT Stills' badge number, accepted John's explanation as having something to do with John's dire description of extremely dangerous times everyone was living under. In a split second, some flashpoint revelation occurred to him about the nature of that world, then it eluded him completely, as the two young women began an argument over parking space and a ticket on one of their dashboards. Fusco came towards them, and heard the Russian accented English escalate into a hot-tempered Russian barrage of curses and name calling. Fusco asked them in their language, what the problem was. Surprised that he could speak their language, they proceeded to talk at once, with Fusco throwing up his hands in exasperation,. Then John stepped into the picture quietly, and both women stopped to turn and look at him. The shorter redheaded eyed him appreciatively, with a "o moy on veilikolepen" ("oh my, he's gorgeous") and the taller woman dropped her ticket to the ground as she stared at John unabashedly.  
"How about we just step inside and we'll get this all cleared up." Fusco picked the ticket up as both women nodded their approval over John's looks.  
"I guess Tall, Dark and Devastating's first day is already starting out with every chick fallin' all over you, huh?" he shook his head to himself as he entered the precinct.

The interior office scene:  
"So what's your experience in narcotics?" Fusco played along with John's cover.  
"Mexican cartels in Tiajuana, Russian and Aryan mobs right here in the city and upstate. Some overseas cartels over in Afghanistan." Lionel raised his eyebrows. John had never volunteered that information before.  
"You prefer wearing your suit or deep undercover disguise?" he questioned John, who stood deep in thought at the question. He never had to worry about his outward dress before, but now, this was civilian life and not the bat cove existence he and Harold had for two and a half years.  
"Depends on the case - maybe i'll wear this for more --professional cases and interviewing leads. I can go undercover in whatever the mix is." He seemed flexible, Lionel surmised. He rather enjoyed this new role reversal. However something in John's manner suggested this was not the time to press any buttons. So he kept the conversation low key and businesslike to ease John in the boxing ring, so to speak. He showed him around the office area, introduced him to a few of the officers and detectives at their desks.  
"We're getting a new captain soon, maybe next week. I heard she's a piece of work, hardass as they come in a skirt." Lionel leaned into John to let him know what he might be in for.  
LJohn couldn't help but reflexively look at Joss' old desk area. It was bare, with only an empty "in" box, cellphone, laptop and a small basketball-shaped paperweight with the Knicks logo on it.  
"That's your desk" Lionel said, his eyes peering into John's as he noticed his friend's gaze grow more serious.  
"I know what you're thinking" Lionel said for John's ears only. "she'd be proud to have you take it over. Best partner I ever had." Lionel's voice cracked suddenly. John stared hard at the floor then.  
"Thanks Lionel. I'll be fine and settle in." 

The film crew were hushed as they listened to both actors' lines and also remembered Taraji too.

"Cut!" the scene ended. Jim and Kevin relaxed into their chairs and looked visibly sobered by the scene they just played.  
"Have you heard from her lately? he asked KC.  
"She texted me a week ago. She's opening that new movie of hers and doing all kinds of magazine interviews too.  
She said she misses NY a lot and she said a special hello to you."  
Jim smiled at her remembrance of him. He didn't text anyone much. He'd rather speak to friends if possible, more personal, but who has time these days to have a normal conversation anymore?

He offered Kevin a cold bottle of flavored water and they continued going over their next scene together in Queens.  
"Have you ever filmed in Astoria, Queens KC?" Jim asked.  
"Not in a long while. Used to be where they filmed some old episodes of Columbo and Married with Children. Remember that corny show?" he laughed outright.  
"I had a friend who used to alway go to the huge Olympic sized public pool out there, right under the Whitestone Bridge. Pretty awesome looking up at the spans, while he was swimming, he always said."  
"Wow, I wouldn't mind going there sometime while I'm still here filming in the city." Jim eagerly added.  
"I don't know what shape it's in nowadays. My friend Stevie said it used to be the best pool in the city back in the day." Kevin mused.  
"Miss my pool back home --" Jim began hesitantly  
"You'll be back there again right? around Thanksgiving break? I'm getting away too, up to Boston, to see the folks for a long weekend. Maybe get in a few ballgames at Wrigley."

Ten minutes later: Three more takes and getting the dialogue down, extra lighting needed and they set designer had forgotten to put up a plaque on the wall before shooting. A gold plaque, whatever for? jim wondered to himself. They re-did the scene and the plaque was on the far wall by the water cooler. When the scene was done, Jim asked what was the plaque all about and the technician showed him the laptop zeroing in on the plaque after his dialogue with Fusco. There, for all to see, zooming in clear relief, the words:

"Detective Jocelyn Carter, NYPD Homicide  
Distinguished Service To the City of New York  
and to the United States Army  
March 3, 2000- November 16, 2014

Jim was stunned. The writers had done it - had wordlessly mentioned her by name, in this episode, called "Brotherhood", where John H ---, nee, John Reese, was stepping into Joss' place at her old desk.

Rich symbolism - brotherhood, even from beyond the grave, they were still honoring their past bond, and her words rang out in the bright New York summer sun: "John, don't let this --- (change you)"  
The show had changed. John Reese had changed - for the better hopefully. Jim looked at the screen as if seeing gold nuggets buried in a treasure chest at the bottom of the ocean.  
Alan, the technician interrupted his thoughts.  
"Pretty neat, how they included her, huh?" he nudged the actor's arm.  
"Yeah Alan, pretty neat." he slowly replied. Another thought came to him about the plaque, his stationed at her desk.  
"I wonder if this is the beginning of the big arc for me, you know, --" he searched for words. "you know, -- I'm supposed to be a detective now, in plain sight, back on the right track, so to speak, like Joss is giving me my second chance, to be just like her, a good cop, doing the right thing." Alan scratched his head, puzzled.  
"I don't know anything what the writers do back there. But now that you said it, I think you're onto something man."  
Jim left the set, headed to his trailer and given an hour and a half break before dinner, he sat down on his big recliner stretched out his legs and pondered where the writers were taking his character this season. 

He'd call Kerri and talk to her about this new development. She was good at seeing the bigger picture and would keep him on track.  
"Always act each scene as if it were your last scene, your last episode." she once told him, after Taraji had left the show. In other words, give it my best effort each time. She was absolutely right.


	5. "Clean Suit and Dirty Laundry"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Sarah have a long day of filming at the laundromat, possibly into the 12 hour shift. The scene from "Brotherhood" has a surprise character to the storyline, even though that person is not even in the dirty little laundromat.

h. 5 “Clean Suit and Dirty Laundry”

Jim’s alarm rang abruptly at 7:00 A.M. as he rolled out of bed, heading straight for the shower. He didn’t risk using the snooze button because Marco already mentioned he was always on time and he wanted to keep it that way. They were going to Astoria, Queens, an area in the city he wasn’t familiar with. The borough of Queens was more actor-friendly and Astoria was an old enclave of Italians, Greeks, Eastern European now newly-populating avenues and streets originally settled by the Germans, Jews, and three generations’  
Italian and Irish. He’d been piqued by KC’s description of Astoria Pool and had looked it up on Wiki, and read about its fabled history of Olympian swimmers training there from the 30’s – 60’s. He’d heard from Kevin that the pool had a fantastic overhead view of the Triboro Bridge and Hell’s Gate Bridge, newly painted dark red, to fit its gritty namesake. 

At 8:15, he was already dressed, script in hand, his ever-present bag of soft drinks, and pocket junk. Marco beeped twice and he was already out the front door and met by Marco, Kevin and Sarah. The rest of the cast were filming scenes in Manhattan for the day. Marco took the BQE expressway over to Queens as the Triboro was always too congested in the mornings and taking it from the Bronx was too out of the way. Marco was listening to his NY newstation for traffic alerts, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee while the cast sat quietly gazing out at the passing exits on the expressway. Sarah and Jim talked about their upcoming shift, asking the other whether they’d have another 16 hour day.  
“No telling Jim, I brought my stash of foodie here and some leftovers from last night’s dinner. Patsy’s portions are humongous!” and Jim agreed wholeheartedly. He still had half his dinner stowed in his refrigerator back at the apt. His favorite “frutti de mare”, seafood combo with ziti. 

The senery changed suddenly to low, four story buildings, row houses and tree lined streets, and what appeared to be a huge park along the Triboro Bridge. It was definitely a little less urban high rise here in Queens. Any hint of trees and nature soothed Jim’s nature loving soul. Kevin pointed out towards the park and quickly gestured for Jim to turn his head.  
“I believe that’s Astoria Park and Pool. The largest pool built in the city, Stevie said.”  
“Yeah, I read up on on on Wiki last night. “  
Surprised that Jim was on the internet, Kevin added, “oh you have wireless internet at the apartment?”  
“Yeah KC, I know I played Jesus but I do have internet provided by the studio while I’m in NY.” Everyone roared out laughing when Jim delivered those lines in an imitation of a Jewish accent.  
“Oh my God,! Here Jesus have some of my donut with your coffee!” Sarsh giggled as she handed him a few donut holes.

9:30 A.M. Jim was in his suit and Sarah in black tank top,black lycra pants and low heeled boots. They were standing in front of the Laundromat, waiting for the props inside to be set up. It would be a narcotics sting operation with a Number involved inside the small neighborhood establishment. Next door, there was a small grocery store which was part of the scene as well, and the owner was all smiles at the Hollywood invasion, as he was overheard to say to the cameramen.

A few women pushing strollers were actually going inside to collect their day’s laundry, just before the set was closed off from 9:45 AM – noon and then again from 1:00-2:30PM. Some of the women muttered “How inconvenient! This is the time I always come here!”  
“I’m going around the corner to the other Laundromat instead. I can’t wait all day for them to finish, even though I like that Jesus guy on the show!” her companion complained.  
“I guess they’re not impressed… except that other lady, by you.” Kevin rolled his eyes upward as Jim readjusted his collar.

“Everybody ready? Get in position, we’re starting now!” Frank the head cameraman shouted. Jim and Sarah stood by the doorway, hands in their pockets for their weapons. The extras were already inside the small wash and dry, 

A man holds a laundry basket of clothes, and a young woman stands next to him apparently folding clothes. Two men enter and go straight towards the young man with the basket. One of them whispers,  
“You got it all in there?”  
“Yeah, its all in there like I told you on the phone.” He looks at the other dude standing behind him, his back to the door.  
“Hurry up Niky,! I thought I saw some people hanging by the other door. “  
“Keep a lookout, Take-out! “  
“It’s all here like I said” the young man with the woman repeated nervously. “4 kilos. Straight from Colorado, they told me. Good stuff you can sell for double.”  
The woman with him went towards her stroller, pulling the small blanket up higher.  
Reese and Shaw watched from the side door, without their earpieces filled with Harold’s warnings and intel, they used all their covert skills to wait for the perfect time. Fusco said there was a drug deal going on at the Ipanema Laundromat in Astoria, so they got on it, luckily, for them, it was Saturday, both their day off from their regular jobs.  
Shaw was smiling and chomping at the bit to do some shooting again and Reese had to restrain her.  
“Remember, the silencers need to be used all the time now and only if they shoot to kill us.”  
“I know, I know John, the kneecaps !” Shaw reluctantly agreed but she had to have the last word so she quickly added.  
“that is, you can kneecap. I’ll go for other body parts.”  
John was going to retort, but then they heard a scuffle, a woman screaming  
“No, not the baby!” The sound of the door opening in front, the guy named Take-Out, had the stroller, the woman running towards the door and Nicky still inside with the laundry basket with the kilos of drugs inside.  
In an instant, Reese rushed to the end of the brick side wall, saw the assailant, and when he saw the stroller, with the crying baby inside, he aimed his gun for the thug’s kneecaps, both of them, to put him out of commission. The man fell in a sudden crumpling, shrieking movement, not knowing who hit him, as Reese was hidden behind the wall. Shaw was already inside, with her gun pointed at the other man.  
“Put that down and get out of here before I shoot you into that dryer on high heat!” He dropped the laundry basket suddenly  
eyeing her suspiciously.  
“Who the hell are you B -----ch!”  
“someone you don’t wanna run into at the Laundromat on a Saturday morning.” Shaw’s voice was deadly calm. Shaw saw Reeese pushing the stroller back inside towards the shaken mother and the young man, supposedly her significant other  
was pulled aside by Reese.  
“Who the hell are you ---!”  
Reese flashed his Detective’s badge whispered “NYPD police.”  
He already had the handcuffs on the frightened man. Reese studied him and the woman and in an instant, his intuition told him, these people don’t look like ordinary drug dealers. They’re desperate. They owe someone big, returning a favor.  
“You owe someone a favor for something?” he looked the man square in the face. He saw defeat and fear, not aggression.  
The woman was rocking the baby with Shaw tending to her, asking questions.  
“Yeah, I owe someone at the top a favor, because of the baby.  
We couldn’t pay the medical bills at the hospital from all the operations he had to have because of the tumor in his brain.  
I had a friend who said I could get easy money selling the crack, and then pay off those two guys. But now, it’s all f ----d up and there’s someone even more at the top who’s gonna get us now.”  
“And who is that?” Reese whispered in his most emphatic voice.  
“What do I get outta this if I give you a name?” the man became slightly bolder, now that Reese had heard his story.  
“I can work something out, at the precinct, give me the name now.” Reese pressed.  
“Scarface” The man’s voice trembled at the name.  
Reese’s eyes went wide. Scarface --- led to Elias. This Laundromat was in their dirty little corner of Queens too.

Elias. He hadn’t seen him since the time Harold researched him at the Library, and found a surveillance feed, locating Elias walking into a restaurant in Westchester County., walking into a room downstairs, towards a kitchen storage area. Several other men were there to meet him, some dressed as chefs and others in plan dress. One of the men spotted was Scarface, and both were alive and well upstate.  
“It’s 5 to 10 years for drug possession with intent to sell. Desperate as you were, your baby almost lost his life on account of your stupid decision, you know that? Now, here’s the deal… you don’t wanna answer to this Scarface. I’ve heard of him and his boss. They are men not to be trifled with at all.  
I know both of them and back then, I didn’t even want to trifle with them either. “ The man could feel his heart bursting out of his chest at Reeese’s next words.  
“Now, you go home, with your lady and baby. Walk away from all this drug running. There’s other ways to make money, legally. If I ever hear of you doing this again, I will shoot you in the kneecaps next time, and book you myself.” The man was awash in blessed relief. The woman was crying, “I told you, I told you the same thing! You wouldn’t listen!” 

Reese and Shaw joined up again, and now Fusco was on the phone with Reese.  
“You can send the patrol car over here, pick up the drugs and the pathetic guy holding his kneecaps… yeah, I did that….yeah, he was aiming for me… witness? A woman supposedly his wife or ladyfriend…ok… fifteen minutes.” Reese hung up, eased that Fusco was summoning help to clean up the mess here. He couldn’t get Shaw involved, because of Samaritan and she was not NYPD, what did she say she was doing now? Hairstylist in Manhattan? He almost laughed out loud if it wasn’t for the near-catastrophe here. Distant sirens were heard now and the cameras panned out onto Ditmars Blvd.

“Cut!” the camera crew shouted.  
Jim and Sarah relaxed their stances and walked outside towards the film crew. The technician was replaying the scene and listening to their voices on audio. Jim took a can of ginger ale from his bag while someone pointed him to an ice bucket nearby. Sarah was with the makeup crew – she was already sweaty from the summer heat. The camera reassembled the actors again for the next take. Jim readjusted his gun in his underarmour.

It took several more takes, until all the actors coordinated all their moves. It was almost time for lunch, and the weather was getting sticky outside. The locals were watching the actors with nonchalant interest, only as New Yorkers could. but Jim wasn’t too hungry. He just wanted to get out of that sweaty white shirt and throw it in the wash.


	6. "The Pearl in the Shell"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter does not follow the action in the previous chapter, but jumps back a few episodes. 
> 
> The cast films S4, Ep 2 "Nautilus" in an undisclosed section at the Port of Newark. The challenges of filming out of the city, during night time, and the secrecy of keeping the location hidden from the show's fan base makes this episode very exciting for Jim and his colleagues, who will be in the episode with him. 
> 
> *** FAKE SPOILER ALERT******There are other guest stars waiting at the set there, whom the fans will be overjoyed to see returning to the storyline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure speculation on my part about the location/actors in this episode - have not heart a thing from any online sources! 
> 
> I get to write my own fake "spoiler alert"!

Jim had heard that the cast was going to film "Nautilus" at the Port of Newark, and he would be in a crucial scene. They had filmed a few scenes during Season 3 at the nearby Ft. Lee location, due to the proximity to the Liocoln and Holland Tunnels, for easy access back into lower Manhattan. They had filmed the scene involving Root, John and Shaw discovering Samaritan's servers aboard one of the ships docked at Ft. Lee. Now in Season 4, they'd just   
received the news that "Nautilus" would take place at the much larger Port of Newark. The cast were on their way to the set now, as Marco drove them through the latter part of rush hour. Jim was dressed in plainclothes for tonight, but his suit was brought over to the trailer there to use in another scene. Finally out of the gas fume filed Lincoln Tunnel, they headed onto 1-9 towards the port. As they approached their exit, the port could be seen with huge lit cranes dotting the horizon, illuminated an eerie orange-gray. Unglamorous was not the word for the old port. However, it was the largest port in the northeast and one of the heaviest secured port in the world, as the main gateway to major import/export goods from all over the world. The surrounding areas of Jersey City, Weehawken, Union, and Ft. Lee, and all the major entrances into both tunnels into the city were also heavily surveilled. 

Their vehicle slowed down as they merged into traffic approaching the port entrance. Security checkpoints with flashing lights and NJ Port Authority Police manning them quieted everyone as Marco alerted them to have I.D. available. When the police officer bent over his rolled down window, Marco presented the I.D. documents from Warner Bros. and their written permission to film Person of Interest at the Port tonight and tomorrow night, if needed. The officer stepped away, went inside his booth, and made a quick call to a supervisor. He returned back to them and gave directions to Pier 7. Curiously, he peered into the SUV and caught a glimpse of all the actors seated quietly. He gazed at Sarah and in his gravelly NJ accent, he asked.  
"You that Shaw chick on the show?"   
"Yes sir, you watch our show?" Sarah answered pleasantly.  
"Sure do, my wife likes the Jesus guy with the guns in it. She makes me watch it EVERY Tuesday!" the officer then noticed Jim sitting beside March and gave him a quick thumbs up and cracked his first smile.  
"Wish we had a Reese around here sometimes to take care of some of these scumbags com in' into the city." he continued, looking straight at Jim.  
"I think you're all doing a great job protecting the home front, without Reese." Jim responded kindly.  
"Thanks for a great show guys ---nice meeting' you all!" the officer waved them on and everyone waved back. Then in 30 seconds, everyone began laughing and calling Sarah "Shaw chick" and "Jesus guy" and laughed all the way to the set.

7:30PM - Scene 6, Takes 1-9

Jim stood on a platform, surrounded by huge rows of long wooden beams, tied with stringers, resembling a type of dry dock. It descended into darkness below. Camera lights shone from its depths. On the other side of the planks, rows of huge 30 ft. metal containers with strange markings in Asian letters created a wall of their own. The studio had a portable metal staircase brought in for the scene for the actors to use during the scene. Jim was getting the final touches of powder on his cheeks to remove sweat from his forehead and cheeks. Jackie, his wardrobe assistant for the night, readjusted his badge once more and then went over to Sarah, to help her get ready. Jim's motorcycle and Sarah's vehicle were parked between two containers. The camera and lighting crew were still busy down below in the "pit" which is what the area was now being named. Jim was told to start going down the stairs and in a few minutes, they'd begin shooting. He hadn't seen what was down there yet, and as he carefully descended the noisy stairway, he began to see 3 portable office trailers and once down at their level, noticed that they were formed in a semicircle. The camera crew and director for the episode were already down there waiting. Fans were brought in to cool the area and keep everyone comfortable. Very minimal lighting was going to be used in the scene, and Jim approached the camera man and asked him a few questions about how much lighting his face would have in the scene. He wanted to know how much of his facial expressions the lighting was going to pick up on. The camera people were already used to Jim's interest in filming and obliged him whatever he wanted to know. He had read his script well ahead of time, and the script was so carefully guarded by TPTB that every time he put it down somewhere, it was immediately closely guarded by staff, so as not to fall into anyone's hands who was not associated with the actual scene. No spoilers whatsoever were permitted to be leaked out of the studio or scripts carelessly left out in the open for stray eyes to see, ie. fans watching filming.   
"Ok, Jim we're ready now inside the trailer." someone called out to him from inside the center portable office. Several people could be seen taking their places at a table inside.   
The cameras began rolling. Sudden quieting of all noise.   
"Lights, camera, Scene 6, Take 1 --- Action!!" Jim in his John H. facial persona and stance.   
He knocked on the narrow door. No immediate answer. Then footsteps, camera lights on very low now. A tall, handsome, dark haired man opened the door.   
"Who are you? What's your name? Do we know you?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing John and noticing his badge glinting in the dark.  
"My name is John. I'm here to see your friend inside. You can tell him it's me. " John replied in a smooth, unemotional tone. He wasn't looking forward to this meeting at all. He only came here because Root was in touch with him by phone and told him to come to this God forsaken pier, that "she" had communicated with her about this location and wanted Admin 2 to seek someone important out here. Not a Number. The Machine now was giving her bits of scattered information about places only. John had a premonition that he'd find out about something important, that he cared not to know about. His operative skills on full alert, his eyes scanned the ceiling corners for any surveillance cams. Bare on all four walls. Yes, whoever was inside this office was just as cautions as I -- and Harold would be, he thought to himself. The man turned towards someone inside, and John head whispers and an "I know him, let him in." reply. Warily, the man let John enter. As the door opened, John H. saw a man seated inside the sparsely furnished "office". The Machine had led him to ----- him? John was incredulous.  
John saw in the man's facial expression the same surprise, shock and some fleeting emotion flash across his face. He must've had the same look on his face too. The last time he saw him was ---- months ago in a place he'd rather not remember. Seemingly a lifetime and a death's memory ago. The shameful memories of his confinement, ensuing brutality wrung against him and the aftermath searing loss, all came back to him as he looked at the smaller man. He had stopped the brutal beat up session that probably would have seriously maimed him, ordered by Donnelly and most likely witnessed by Joss. This man's word was gospel at Rikers and with a few words, he cased the relentless assault. John now owed him a debt, which he hated to be in a position of doing. John and the Team needed him now, and he would need their protection too. The Machine had led him here...

"Well, good evening John. Our paths unexpectedly cross again." Elias was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence.  
"I wondered what had happened to you, after that convenient fire drill at Riker's which was a brilliant move. I think your friends in high places were looking out for you there." he let that sink in for a moment, as John eyed him carefully. He noticed Elias looked a little paler, thinner but still in command of himself and his operations here in this hidden fortress dwarfed by the dizzying rows of monstrously long planks in the middle of this high profile port.   
"I also wondered whatever happened to you after HR went on a full scale manhunt for you months ago. I sat it out John, manhunts like that aren't my style. And I never did like the idea of sleeping in the same bed as HR."  
he added for John's benefit. John nodded slightly, in acknowledgement of his past favor. Elias wanted to begin the conversation on a civil tone, as John was a hard man to engage. He knew from John saving his life in the past, that this was an exceptionally skilled operative, who was as hard as they came, but stingily, had some kind of ethics he alone understood.   
"I sorely miss my old chess partner. He was the best one I ever had the pleasure of playing with, during my long confinement. Did he send you here?" Elias asked curiously.  
"Appreciate the nod to my friend, but I didn't come here to talk about chess." John broke the silence finally. Elias motioned for him to sit in one of the empty chairs. John sat, still looking at Elias' bodyguard, the younger man who let him in. Elias felt a little eased now that John was at eye level. Now they could speak man to man. He motioned some of the others to leave except wanting the younger man with the scar across his cheek to stay.  
"He stays with me here. I trust him like a son." Elias extended his arm out to Scarface.  
"How did you find me? No one knows about this place, not even some of my most trusted associates." he looked at John, mystified.  
""There are no cameras here, no surveillance for at least the perimeter of these planks and containers outside and to the end of the pier. This is where I come to meet people I do business with." he explained.  
He noticed John begin to lean back in his chair.   
"A source I know informed me." John began to speak, formulating his thoughts. The Machine sent him here, to find Elias? For what purpose?  
"Is this source in the NYPD or in any of the organized crime syndicates?"  
"No, Elias. No one knows I'm here, except the source who sent me." he replied cryptically. At that, Elias sat back in his chair thougtully.   
"Do you remember when you saved my life while I was teaching in Brooklyn?" he asked suddenly.  
"And I'm sure you remember when I saved your, in a manner of speaking, at Rikers." John nodded in agreement.  
"However, someone else saved my life also. When I was kidnapped by the HR mob. That someone didn't have to do it, but they did, and in my own way, I returned the favor. By having the second in command in a very big, corrupt organization killed. The same one that had all points out for you one night, to shoot you at sight." John began to feel queasy all of a sudden.  
"It was very satisfying and a great debt owed to this person." John's face paled at the words "second in command in a very big organization" Who else could he be referring to than Simmons and Quinn? But who was this person he was talking about, who saved his life, whom he owed a great debt to, enough to kill Simmons?  
"Who and when was this second in command killed?" John's eyes burned through Elias.  
"There was a shooting last November. That bastard got shot by someone. No one saw the shooter. He was taken to the hospital by one of his own. My friend and I here --" he gestured at Scarface.  
"Paid him a little visit. I watched while my friend here did the honors." Scarface crossed his arms and smiled, smoothly adding, "he had it coming to him for a real long time."  
Elias went on with his recounting of the night's events.   
"My sources that night told me that after that bastard escaped, there was a 911 alert that a police officer had died in the shooting. That he shot her and fled, because he was in the force too." John suddenly felt like the room was tilting upside down. Elias looked down at his folded hands and sighed deeply.  
"The officer who died in the line of duty - her name was Jocelyn Carter. I'll never forget her, because a few months before she died, she had saved my life from some of my enemies in HR and the Russian mob who were trying to kill me. I'd never seen anything like it -- she must've been in the military, the way she singlehandedly ambushed both sides. All dressed in special ops gear, firing a grenade launcher. Next thing I knew, the FBI came out of nowhere and arrested them on drug possession. Next thing I knew I was in a SUV and it was then that she removed her mask. I was stunned. I had tried to harm her and her son in the past, and she now had saved my life. I was so stunned I couldn't speak. She took me to some safe house where she hid me from my enemies for a few months. Visited me, asked me questions about some criminals she was looking for. I gathered she was on some personal vendetta to avenge someone she knew. She never talked about who it was. Many times, I offered my services to her, but she always said no. She'd do it herself. I warned her she was getting way over her head and that eventually she'd need someone's help. When I heard that it was her that fell in the line of duty that night, I was very, very sad. I'd grown to admire and respect her, during the time she kept me safe. I didn't deserve a second chance especially with someone like her."   
Elias looked away suddenly, collecting himself. When he turned again to look at John, he saw the completely shaken expression on John's face, his eyes watering profusely.   
"You knew her John?" he asked tentatively.

John's brain felt like two express trains careening onto a single track, ready to crash.  
"That night was the night HR put all points out in the city, for every criminal on the streets to kill me on sight. Orders from the top. That was the night that I heard you and your men didn't want any part of it. She, ---Joss," his voice cracked, "she didn't want my help either. She wanted to do it all alone, she never told me that she saved you. Till I figured out something when she gave us a lead to a case we were working on involving Russians in a diamond sale gone wrong. Then things got way out of hand and I had to step in to help her. We got the head of HR, and she booked him, while I took care of defending us from the surrounding gunfire coming at us from everywhere. After she booked him and left the precinct, I was waiting to escort her back to her car to go home. That's when it happened. That bastard --- Simmons, was waiting for us behind the precinct. He shot at me first in the shoulder. She shielded me, then he shot her. I couldn't save her -- I didn't have my gun. She wash't wearing her vest. " John looked up at the ceiling as if pleading for mercy.  
"She died in my arms." he finished with a hard swallow.

Elias was profoundly moved, yet Jocelyn had gotten her retribution, Simmons was dead and the HR kingpin was behind bars. He and John had lost the same person.  
"I can only speak for myself John, but I know I didn't deserve to be saved by her, and she didn't deserve to die, regardless of who she was trying to take down. But she did the city a great service and she died a hero in my eyes. I hope in some way, I can honor her memory and what she did for me, undeserving that I am. Maybe you're more deserving of her than I ever could be. So John, you coming here isn't by chance, I don't think. What can I do to help you? No strings attached, John. For Jocelyn Carter."  
He paused, meeting John's eyes. John saw that Elias was also moved.  
John was still overwhelmed by Elias' revelations of Joss' association with him, and still trying to collect his emotions. He took a leap of faith now.  
"I came here because the stakes are high, for all of us. I need total privacy before I go on." he gestured towards Scarface. The man looked relaxed enough, sitting with his hands in his lap, but he didn't want to get him involved as collateral damage. After all, he killed the sonofabitch Simmons and now he owed him some protection at least.  
Elias did the unthinkable and asked Scarface to give him time alone with John. He left without protest. Once alone, John got to the point. Elias offered John a small drink, but he declined saying he needed to keep his head clear.

"The source who informed me of your whereabouts is never wrong That is how, I, our chess friend, even Joss, and a handful of other assets, have helped people in trouble and stopped crimes. Now, were are the ones in trouble. We can't work together as we used to anymore. Too dangerous. There are forces out now that are much more --" he searched for the right word to describe Samaritan. "Deviant. You and your organization would be high on their list, if your activities were to come under their radar. We can't be who we used to be. We're living other lives now in the city. We're in even more danger than your own organization is.  
Elias began to grow alarmed at the scope of John's description.  
"John, if I'm to help you, what are we talking about here? Tell me plainly now. This office is completely safe." he added, as he saw John's eyes on the ceilings. 

"What I'm about to say stays in this room, to the grave, understand?" John was a dead serious now, leaning forward in his chair.  
"Whatever you say John." Elias braced himself.  
"My friends and I want to go on saving people, helping stop crimes. Just like I saved you once. Your name came up and we saved you. But now it's nearly impossible. Your chess partner and I cannot be seen together and our headquarters were compromised by the NYPD and this extremely dangerous group. I want my partner back with me so we can continue our mission and to try to consolidate our plan of attack to stop this group. But time is running out. They're already up and running."  
"How will you do that, with just two of you and some of your handful of helpers, against some huge group?"  
"You have many resources in the city, hiding places off the radar, troops on the ground." Elias smiled briefly at John's use of terms.   
"I need a secure location completely off the grid either in the city, or in the immediate vicinity." John waved his hand around the expanse of the surrounding pier.   
"That's easy enough to arrange John. I have several very convenient areas in the five boroughs. some in midtown, some in Brooklyn, some in very rough neighborhoods and some here by the waterside. I think you're probably looking for a more covert location."  
"Exactly" John agreed. Elias eyed him again, waiting for another request. John cleared his throat, and remembered his words "no strings attached", in Joss' memory.   
"I need time to organize my operations from this secure location. Time to look for my friend again, get my assets regrouped. At the right time, I may need some protection. There are forces out there on the streets working for this organization, who shoot to kill their opposition, who kill many people who are counter to their cause. My friend, myself included, and our helpers are on the top of that list, if they ever discover who we are." Elias nodded thoughtfully, taking in the implications of John's request.  
"How many are we talking? And do you need them city-wide?"  
"Possibly. Depends on what I can organize in the next few weeks with our mutual chess friend.." John paused, weighing whether he should tell Elias the next intel.  
"I know you said "no strings attached" Elias. That's a very generous offer. Because of that, and your offer to help us, we'll protect you and your people as best as we can. If I know our friend, he's already ten steps ahead of the enemy. He has access to something as big as what this other group has in their possession. But right now, our side has been temporarily restricted in its operations. "  
Elias was trying to piece all this information together. Two entities, one supposedly deadly, with John and Harold walking targets, John needed a safe area of operations, away from surveillance. Elias whistled under his breath.  
"This sounds like literally the war of the worlds, with you and your partner right in the crosshairs. You know, lately, my sources tell me that the murder rate in NY has doubled in the past month and a half. That's a huge increase in such a short time. Supposedly the new anti-terrorist surveillance system everyone's been on the bandwagon about --- Samaritan, has been cracking down on these cases." John knew where the conversation was going and he steeled himself for more questions.  
"If it's supposedly a system to stop terrorism, then why are you and your friend targeted by it, and why do you want to take them down?" Elias' question hung in the air,waiting for resolution.  
John hesitated, not wanting to bring him into the fray, even if he was a former foe. Elias saw John's tension and hesitation.  
"Hmmm --- you two must have something they want, and you did say your friend has access to something as big as theirs. Must be what they want for their own purposes. Well, in chess, I'd say we better consolidate to get rid of the imbalance on the chessboard, before the king is captured." he waited for John's response.  
"I think you just answered your own question." was all John said. Elias pressed him a little more, since it seemed many of his men's lives may be at stake in this joint venture.   
"I'm sacrificing a lot of pawns in this very dangerous enterprise. How do I protect them from capture?" A legitimate question, John surmised. John was also now in a position to have to reveal more information about their mission. He took a deep breath and slowly explained.  
"We have a Queen and she tells us how best to proceed." He meant Root, of course. Elias was curious again. Was John alluding to a female player, or was he referring to this "entity" of theirs? John as a maddening enigma to converse with, but he admired the man, because like Jocelyn, he had saved his life, when he could as easily have taken it in an instant.   
"All right, john. I'll provide manpower when you tell us you need us. This thing could just as easily come after us. We're not exactly the Sunday brunch after church crowd, are we?" he smirked in amusement at his own description, breaking the unrelenting tension in the room.

I have contacts here at the Port. Come back this coming Saturday night. I have access to container barges, tugboats, and a a midsize vessel, in a little disrepair, but serviceable enough. She's not in much use right now with the new embargoes between us and Russia and Eastern European business also down too. I can show these to you and you can choose the one you think you can use." Elias offered.  
"Thank you." John simply answered, hope in his eyes.  
"Why do you do this John -- risk your life like this, saving people? You're like the knight on the chess board, always protecting the King, but no one protects you." Elias asked him as he saw him stand to leave.  
"Someone did protect me once, but she ended up sacrificing her life for me. I didn't deserve it either. But with your offer to help now, maybe my luck's changed."  
"You might not think so John, but I do have my own brand of "moral code" however, skewed. One of them is, never forget the person who saved your life, and whenever possible, return the favor tenfold, should your paths cross again." Elias reached for his empty wine glass, turned it upside down, and placed it in the center of the table.  
"To our dear departed Queen." Elias solemnly pushed the glass towards John a little. John was moved at the gesture, and stared at the glass, at Elias, his unlikely ally. He retreated towards the door and left silently.

Saturday night: 9:00 PM: Scene 7, Take 3: Elias meets with John at the office again. John is now wearing his suit with badge. Elias takes him to the various vessels. John looks at the container barges, having a capacity to carry 15 containers at at time. Good cover in case of a shoot out, but too conspicuous, especially if he is detected by Samaritan, if his comings and goings become more frequent. the tugboats might work, but Samaritan's cams could spot him or Harold driving it out into the channels and bay. He looked at two mid-sized vessels, one the size of a ferryboat, and the other, a larger, grayish ship resembling an old reconnaissance vessel. He chose it and Elias showed him inside.   
"We got it from the Russians in Brooklyn. Sold it for a third of the cost. They're feeling the pinch of this embargo between us and Putin." he said as they stepped aboard.  
"Was it a mutiny or a business trade?" John managed to smirk . Amused, Elias cheerfully countered.  
"Why John, now thatI've redeemed myself a little since leaving Rikers, I've managed to become a more legitimate businessman. I have changed a little."  
Elias showed him the main deck, the various storage areas, computerized steering system, even some Russian made guns stowed underneath the captain's bunk.   
They were on the ship for almost 25 minutes, and afterwards, reappeared back on the pier. Elias walked back to his "office" again and John started for his motorcycle. He turned to look back once more, until he saw Elias disappear down the long stairway. He looked over at the ship, and there on the side of the ship, in white letters, was its name, "Nautilus".

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	7. "Pretemders and The Real Truth"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim Caviezel as John Riley aka. "The Man In The Suit" in his shadow life, before Samaritan is filming "Pretenders". His long-in-the -background John Reese/Riley is now predominating the first few episodes in Season 4. 
> 
> In real life though, the real truth is Jim misses his family back in L.A. and because of his busier schedule, can't make those cross-country flights as often as he used to last year. What will he do about it? Riley/Reese won't be in the background much this season. Especially now that everyone in the cast has heard about the latest news about Sarah …

The faintest slivers of early sunrise filtered through the blinds, as the soft beeps from his coffeemaker woke him. He looked at his clock radio: 7:15 A.M.  
He had to get to Silvercup Studios by 9:30. They were going to film indoor scenes for "Pretenders" in the morning, then switch to the outdoor segments after lunch.  
He was going to be working with a new actor, the new Number in the episode. They were introduced yesterday and briefed on their schedules for the next few days.  
Jim heard this episode was going to feature him in a very fun way, in particular, his fan base would love some of the allusions to "The Man In The Suit" of previous seasons. He was intrigued about the upcoming script, and wondered why the predominance of Riley early this season. Better not to question Plageman or the writers, and go with the flow. He still missed Taraji since she left the show and it was probably no secret that the writers and crew did too, as meaningful moments alluding to her "memory" crept into the story lines over the past year. He made sure, as an actor, to give his lines about Carter his own special emphasis. Not too overdone, yet just enough to show Reese still had not gotten over her, nor ever would for that matter.

Jim quickly readied for work, to the staccato heavily-ccented news commentators on WINS A.M. He was in the habit of listening to the local news, traffic and weather reports to rev him up before having his first cup of coffee. Sitting down in his small apartment kitchen, he quickly munched on a toasted bagel, sipping his coffee and thought about Kerri and the kids back home … For the hundredth time, he worried about not being able to visit them every month, like he used to when they were filming Season 3. Back then, he wasn't in the forefront in each episode, not like he was now. Grafeful for the work, yes, but he knew something had to give soon. Kerri was just terrific about understanding his schedule and her parents and his were always offering help when the kids had school activities or appointments. No question about support systems there. He made sure every moment with Kerri was quality time and he loved listening to her work with the church. Sometimes they both shot hoops at Bo's school gym, while he was at practice. Sometimes they took in a game to see the Lakers whenever a friend couldn't use season tickets. It was really great sometimes to just be himself and not an actor, if only for a few hours. The kids were getting bigger, older, and he was missing their daily lives …

"WINS news time, eight-twenty-five .. and now, traffic update for the major highways .." droned the newsman. He shut the radio off, grabbed his keys and his tumbler of coffee and left his apartment in Brooklyn. He looked down the rows of brownstones and noticed his car service slowing down, lights flashing at him. He quickly strode towards his driver and slid into the passenger side.

"Morning Mr. Caviezel… ready for another day at the office?" his driver Gino greeted him exuberantly, turning his head sideways to look at his favorite actor on PoI.  
"We need a miracle Jesus .. the Queensboro is bumper to bumper and we gotta get there by nine-fifteen, right?" Jim laughed at the reference. Taraji used to kid him like that too, he thought with a slight pang. So glad she's got a new show coming up next year on FOX.

"Don't worry we'll get there Gino. L.A. traffic was a lot worse than this and I got good at not stressing over it."

"Yeah, I've been out there and it was bad, you ain't kidding! I'll never drive on 5 if I can help it!", Gino shook his head adamantly as he took the shortcut to Queens.  
Jim settled in his seat and began thinking about his upcoming script. He already had ideas he wanted to share with the director. After they got onto the bridge, his mind wandered as he stared ahead at the line of trees and residential skyline a few miles from them. Would Kerri and the kids think he was insane if he asked them to ….

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End file.
